Earlier this month, Pete’s Davidson‘s dog, 2-year-old Henry, passed away. “Henry was only 2 years old but unfortunately got very sick very fast,” he wrote on Instagram about the pup that he shared with his mom and sister. “My mom, sister and I got Henry at the beginning of the pandemic and he saved our lives. Not sure I’d even be around without him. He was the happiest and sweetest dog ever.”
Like many pet owners who are reeling from the loss of a furry friend, Davidson recently got another dog for his mom, a two-and-a-half-month Cavapoo, according to the New York Post. Unlike other pet owners, however, the SNL alumnus was publicly criticized by PETA for buying the puppy from a pet store instead of adopting from a shelter.
“It’s tragic that Pete didn’t seek out a borough-born mutt from a city animal shelter, because a scrappy New Yorker with charm, personality, and unconventional handsomeness could have been his perfect match,” Daphna Nachminovitch, PETA’s senior VP of Cruelty Investigations, told TMZ. “Since shelters in New York and across the country are overflowing with homeless animals, PETA urges Pete to show some big heart energy by adopting, not shopping, in the future.”
In response, Davidson left an understandably angry voicemail for Nachminovitch, telling PETA to “suck my d*ck.” The actor is allergic to dogs, so “I had to get a specific dog,” he explained. “So why don’t you do your research before you f*cking create news stories for people because you’re boring…”
Davidson ended the call, “F*ck you and suck my d*ck.”
[TMZ] contacted Pete about his furious voice mail, and he admits he was unaware he could “adopt a specific hypoallergenic dog.” He says he was told “it wasn’t an option, and if it was, it was rare.”
As for his anger, he addressed that by emphasizing his family was really going through it after his mother’s dog died — “I haven’t seen my mom and sister cry like that in over 20 years. I was trying to cheer up my family. I was already upset that the store [Citipups] had filmed me without my permission or acknowledgement. Then this organization (PETA) made a public example of us, making our grieving situation worse. I am upset. It was a poor choice of words. I shouldn’t have said what I said, but I am not sorry for standing up for myself and my family.”
There are exceptions to the rule, of course, but generally speaking, adopt, don’t stop. Also, RIP Henry.
(Via TMZ)